Lohman Planetarium Talk: Planetary Lightning Current State-of-the-Art & Outstanding Questions

Event Description

Join us in the Lohman Planetarium on Saturday, July 27 | 4:00PM - 5:00PM for a special pop-up talk with ERAU's Jeremy A. Riousset, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Engineering Physics | Physical Science Department.

Abstract: A few years ago, Greaves et al. (2020) recently reported the presence of an unexplained amount of phosphine in the Venusian atmosphere with no currently known abiotic production routes. In this work, the authors considered, and discarded, multiple origins, including lightning delivery. But could lightning’s role in the production of phosphine be more primordial? In the early 1950s, Miller (1953) linked the “production of amino acids under possible primitive Earth conditions,” in which sparks were a necessary component to the chemical origin of life. Our two closest planetary neighbors are the most susceptible to host life (past or present), but the very existence of lightning on these bodies remains highly controversial. In this talk, we explore the state-of-the-art of atmospheric electricity on Mars and Venus and emphasize some outstanding questions raised by recent studies by Riousset et al. (2020; 2024).

This pop-up Lohman Planetarium talk is included with paid museum admission. Register online for a seat. You will be required to purchase museum admission prior to your  visit or upon arrival the day of the show. 

Click Here to Register Online